There are plenty of popular anime and manga series in the world, but very few have managed to achieve the level of success that Naruto has. Naruto became popular because of its action and special abilities, but it was also well-received because it focused on the power of friendship—in fact, the argument can be made that the entire series focused on the friendship between Naruto and Sasuke.
The two faced off against each other more than once, but their final battle occurred in the final episodes of Naruto: Shippuden. Their battle was intense, but when it was all said and done, Sasuke admitted defeat, even though the battle technically ended in a draw. It did not have to end that way though, as Sasuke could have won the fight several ways.
10 He Could Have Used Amaterasu Anytime Naruto Was Directly In Front Of Him
There are very few powers stronger than the Mangekyo Sharingan, and part of the reason why it is so strong is that the user can use Amaterasu. These black flames are capable of burning anything until it is completely incinerated, and they cannot be extinguished by normal means.
Amaterasu is extremely difficult to avoid because it comes from the focal point of the user's vision, and for some reason, Sasuke decided to not hit Naruto with it when they were melee fighting. Naruto was able to peel the flames off while in Kurama mode, but Sasuke could have used Amaterasu when Naruto was out of that mode.
9 He Could Have Trapped Him In A Powerful Genjutsu
Thanks to his Sharingan, Sasuke is one of the strongest genjutsu users in the series, which means that he can trap people in very realistic illusions, and he has access to the Tsukuyomi as well, which is one of the strongest genjutsu in existence.
In order to catch Naruto in a genjutsu, Sasuke just needed to look him in the eyes, which could have happened at any time when they were engaging in hand-to-hand combat. Naruto knows how to dispel a genjutsu, but it would still give Sasuke a few seconds to deliver a finishing blow.
8 He Could Have Used The Rinnegan's Black Rods To Disrupt Naruto's Chakra
When Sasuke acquired the Rinnegan, he gained a lot of new abilities, including the ability to create black chakra rods. Pain is arguably the best villain in the series, and he used these black rods to subdue Naruto at the end of their first fight.
These rods are incredibly durable and sharp, and when they are stabbed into an opponent, the user can transmit their chakra into that opponent and disrupt their chakra flow and movements. If Sasuke had used these rods, he could have immobilized Naruto.
7 He Could Have Taken Control Of The Other Tailed Beasts & Used Them In Battle
The Tailed Beasts may have all been beaten by Madara, but that doesn't mean that they are week—in fact, they have the power to wipe out every ninja village if they all decided to work together. Prior to their final battle, Sasuke uses his Rinnegan to take control of all the Tailed Beasts, who he then seals within individual Chibaku Tensei.
Considering how powerful these beasts are, he could have used their combined strength during the final battle instead of just siphoning chakra from each of them. Naruto was able to fend off several of these beasts when he transformed into Kurama, but he had a lot more chakra during that battle.
6 He Could Have Tried Suppressing The Nine-Tails' Chakra As He Did Earlier In Shippuden
One of the only fights Naruto lost was at Orochimaru's hideout, and it was at the hands of Sasuke, who at the time was far stronger. During this brief encounter, Naruto ended up tapping into some of the Nine-Tails' power, and Sasuke managed to enter the special mind space shared between the tailed beast and his host.
While there, Sasuke managed to completely sever the chakra connection between the two. If Sasuke was able to do this at the beginning of Shippuden, when he was weaker, then he should have been able to do it during their final battle as well, but he didn't even try.
5 He Could Have Just Trapped Naruto In Another Dimension
During their battle with Kaguya, both Naruto and Sasuke were surprised by the Ōtsutsuki's ability to travel to other dimensions, but as the fight progressed, it became clear that Sasuke was able to do the same thing. This is an ability that can apparently only be used by someone who possesses the Rinne Sharingan, which means that Sasuke had a major advantage over Naruto.
Since Naruto has no means of traveling through dimensions, Sasuke could have simply brought him to another dimension and left him there for the rest of time.
4 He Could Have Used Amenotejikara In Combination With Indra's Arrow
When Sasuke absorbed the tailed beasts' chakra, he focused it all into his perfect Susanoo, which is why he was able to overpower several Kurama clones at once. With all that chakra at his disposal, Sasuke prepared his most powerful attack—Indra's Arrow.
The attack never hit its mark though because it collided with Naruto's Six Paths: Ultra-Big Ball Rasenshuriken, but Sasuke could have made it hit him. Thanks to his Rinnegan, Sasuke can use Amenotejikara to swap places with people or objects, but he can also use it to shift things around. He could have used it to shift Naruto and Indra's Arrow in such a way that the attack would've landed.
3 He Could Have Used The Rinnegan's Human Path To Rip Naruto's Souls From His Body
There are very few abilities that can stand up to the Rinnegan, and that is because the ocular jutsu is insanely versatile. Sasuke barely uses any of his Rinnegan's special abilities, including the Human Path, which would have won him the battle almost immediately.
The Human Path is considered to be worthless in battle, but that is only true if the user cannot place their hand on their opponent's head or chest. If Sasuke had done this, he would've been able to pull Naruto's soul out of his body, killing him instantly.
2 He Could Have Used Izanagi To Rewrite Their Battle's Ending
The Sharingan offers a variety of powerful abilities, including Izanagi. Unlike other genjutsu, Izanagi casts an illusion on the user themselves, and it allows them to control what is real and what is fake, which is why an Uchiha can use it to undo fatal damage.
This jutsu is so powerful, that it can only be used once, and Sasuke could have used it at the very end of his battle with Naruto. When they clashed for the last time, they both lost an arm, but if Sasuke had used Izanagi during the clash, he could have negated the damage and saved his arm, which would have resulted in him standing over Naruto victorious.
1 He Could Have Used Planetary Devastation To Seal Naruto Like The Other Tailed Beasts
Unlike the Human Path, Sasuke actually used the Rinnegan's Deva Path, and he used it when he captured several tailed beasts with the Chibaku Tensei jutsu. Pain used Chibaku Tensei on Naruto during their fight, but Naruto was able to break free because Pain underestimated the power of the Nine-Tails.
Sasuke knew just how powerful Naruto and Kurama were, so he could have sealed Naruto within a Chibaku Tensel similar in size to the one the Sage of Six Paths created when he sealed Kaguya and the Ten-Tails.